Entry requirements

Duration

One year with the option of progressing on to a second year on successful completion.

What will I study?

In the first year you will complete the Extended Certificate in ICT. This qualification helps provide all of our Level 3 students with a good grounding in the information systems and technologies that underpin all modern computer applications, ranging from desktop, to web, to smartphone, to the exciting new areas of robotics and the internet of things. This qualification is equivalent to one A Level.

For this qualification you will study the following units:

Information Technology Systems

Creating Systems to Manage Information

Using Social Media in Business

Website Development

In addition you will complete two further units for the National Diploma in Computing which you will complete in the second year. The first year units for the diploma are:

Principles of Computer Science

Building Computer Systems

In the second year you will complete the units necessary to achieve the National Diploma in Computing. At this point you will be able to choose between three exciting pathways depending on your personal interests and skills.

Pathway 2 – Computer Science

The National Diploma in Computer Science is designed to support students who would like a strong core study of computer science to enable progression to roles in the computing industry or progression to higher education with a focus on the computing sector. It is equivalent in size to two A Levels.

On this pathway you will study the following units:

Planning and Management of Computing Projects

IT Systems Security

Human Computer Interaction

Mobile Apps Development

Systems Analysis and Design Software Development

Web Application Development

Programmable Devices and Controllers

What could it lead to?

These Level 3 qualifications provide entry into higher education with a view to progressing to roles within the computing and digital and creative technologies sector. Subjects that some students have gone on to study include Games Development, Cyber Security and Forensics, Web Development, Multimedia, Graphics and Animation, Networking and Cloud Computing, Mobile Apps and Social Media Development, and Software Development. This qualification also offers a direct route into apprenticeships or employment working in user support, as hardware or software technicians or data processing.